This is a simply written book, not complex or overly descriptive. It is well told, if a bit sparsely. I was undecided on whether I liked it or not, right up until the very end. I found that, while short and not overly developed, I loved the romance, and did not at all think it went too fast, despite the fact that it WAS a very fast romance, if you know what I'm trying to say.The plot wasn't too deep or complex. Pretty much, if you know the myth, you know whats going to happen. Its simply telling the already known story in a more detailed, sympathetic format. I liked the author's version of Atalanta, and I loved Hipomenes(I can't remember how to spell his name, so that might be incorrect.) Atalanta's father didn't seem to be very well developed, and only served to further the story, which I didn't really mind. The conversations between the gods could have been written better, but aside from that, I can't find too many faults in this book. Personally, I didn't like the ending. At all. But thats hardly the author's fault, as she was only following the myth to completion. ( )

In this retelling of the the Atlanta myth, Stephanie Spinner creates a complex and compelling heroine, whose fate we care about and whose jeopardy we feel. As an infant, Atlanta was left in the woods to die, but Artemis protected her, and when hunters found her, they knew she was favored by the goddess. Atlanta shoots better and runs faster than any mortal male and she retells her first encounter with Jason (of Argonaut fame).

Favored though she is, Atlanta is still used as a tool of Artemis, creating a violent and tragic first scene. As the story progresses, Atlanta visits an oracle, whose prophesies she must make sense of, and is reunited with her father, whose will she must to circumvent to remain true to the vow of chastity she made to Artemis.

This novel has an immediacy and intimacy that Greek myths often lack. The story seems very true to the myth, which may make the end of the story feel abrupt for contemporary readers. But I loved this short novel and the portrayal of the challenges Atlanta faces as a strong and capable girl in a patriarchal society. ( )

Wikipedia in English

Greek gods and mortals spring to life in this riveting retelling of the myth of Atalanta, the fleet-footed girl warrior who could outrun any man in ancient Greece.Cast off and abandoned at birth, Atalanta– saved by a she-bear and raised by hunters–proves herself to be a superior archer and the fastest runner in the land. But her skills and independence anger many, including her father, the Arcadian King, who suddenly reclaims her and demands that she produce an heir to the throne. Atalanta has pledged herself to Artemis, goddess of the hunt, who has forbidden her to marry. Unwilling to break her promise, Atalanta suggests a grim compromise: she will marry the first man to beat her in a race, but everyone she defeats must die. All the while, Artemis, Apollo, Aphrodite, Eros, and Zeus himself watch–and interfere–from on high.